


Guilt

by MaddieandChimney



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, and injury, mentions of a car accident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: “I don’t want to ruin your party.”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30
Collections: Madney One-Shots, The Buckley Siblings One Shots





	Guilt

“I don’t want to ruin your party.” 

Buck looked at his sister when she spoke and he quickly shook his head, wishing he could have somehow timed his birthday party a little better. Or perhaps not applied so much pressure so his sister felt as though she absolutely had to be there because she was the only blood family who would bother turning up. “You’re not ruining anything.” 

He sighed and looked around for Chimney, it had only been two weeks since their car accident and he had felt the guilt creeping in the moment Maddie and Chimney had arrived. His sister with her arm in a cast, bags under her eyes and a forced smile on her face she had often reserved for the big events their parents forced them to attend when they were younger. The cuts and bruises on both their faces were fading, but he could tell by the way Chimney held himself that he was still in pain. 

“You can leave if you want to.” He was serious when he took her hand, “I know I guilt tripped you into coming because I thought the two of you needed to get out the house but I’m not going to be offended if you leave.” The brunette could only nod as she took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. She really didn’t want to leave her brother on his 30th birthday but she was exhausted. Her broken arm and ribs only made for uncomfortable sleeping and she had only been home for a week after five days in the hospital. Five long days. 

She looked over and watched her boyfriend as he spoke to Hen and Karen, if she looked exhausted she wondered what their friends and family thought of him. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in weeks and she supposed that wasn’t far from the truth. He had been driving that night, the rain had been heavy and luckily he was going slowly, but a car on the other side of the road had other ideas and had hydroplaned itself right into their car. Since then, between memories of the last crash he had gotten into and the immense guilt he felt everytime he looked at her, she knew he hadn’t been sleeping. 

That much was obvious when every time she opened her eyes, he was right there, his hand running through her hair, watching her. He apologised at any given moment, even though she had told him as many times as he apologised that she didn’t blame him. She had to force him to come to the party with her because he had been avoiding her brother since they had been released from the hospital.

She was lost in her own thoughts until she saw him laugh. And she felt herself relax, her hand squeezing her brothers before she smiled, “I think we’ll be okay here for a while. Go mingle, I love you.” She gently shoved him away with her good arm when Buck looked her up and down, “Go! Christopher has been waiting patiently.” She glanced in the direction of the young boy who was not so subtly constantly glancing in their direction after her brother had promised him he’d only be a minute. 

When he finally walked away, she bit down on her lip, wondering whether she should join Chimney and revel in his happiness for just a second or if her going over there would ruin it. She shook the thought off and grabbed a piece of cake from the side, hoping it would be enough to at least break the ice between them. 

“Hey guys,” The two women wrapped their arms around her (for around the tenth time that night, she noted) the moment she was by his side. The flash of guilt was on his face again and she suddenly regretted disturbing what had been the first moment of happiness she had seen from him in two weeks. She tried to brush it off, holding up the plate, “Fancy giving me a hand?” She raised an eyebrow as she smirked at him, relieved when he relaxed and took the plate from her. 

“Always.” He laughed, and it was just the remedy she needed right then, loving the way his eyes sparkled when he held the fork up to her mouth.


End file.
